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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26973097">Ghosts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DammitFanny/pseuds/DammitFanny'>DammitFanny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghosts (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, This is just a reader insert rewrite on the show</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:08:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,228</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26973097</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DammitFanny/pseuds/DammitFanny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You died at Button House in 1969, running from someone you had trusted.<br/>50 years later, new people arrive, causing issues for everyone and affecting your relationship with a certain poet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alison/Mike (Ghosts TV 2019), Thomas Thorne x Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope this is okay!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When you died, you were alone.</p><p> </p><p>You were alone as you screamed out for help.</p><p> </p><p>You died in pain and scared.</p><p> </p><p>But when you woke up, a face was looking at you, a tall handsome man who asked if you were okay.</p><p> </p><p>You observed the way he was dressed and the blood that stained it.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Thomas, and you are?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Y/n, I’m dead aren’t I?” </p><p> </p><p>He only nodded in response to you.</p><p> </p><p>Over the next few years people left, and people joined.</p><p> </p><p>A scout leader, shot in the neck with an arrow by one of his own patrol and a disgraced politician.</p><p> </p><p>Your years at Button House had piled up to over fifty, you didn’t regret any of them.</p><p> </p><p>It took time, but you became a family.</p><p> </p><p>You watched Heather go through her illness and become bed bound. Carers came and went, but you all stayed by her side.</p><p> </p><p>As you all gathered at the end of her bed, you all knew it was her time to leave this mortal plain.</p><p> </p><p>Part of you wished she could stay, be one of you. But you knew that it was more likely they’d move on.</p><p> </p><p>You listened to her laboured breathing, hoping she would be out of her misery soon.</p><p> </p><p>“It won’t be long now.” Julian said, he was standing next to The Captain and Kitty.</p><p> </p><p>“She had a tremendous innings.” The Captain sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“At least she’s comfortable.” Lady Button said.</p><p> </p><p>You couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling, her family was coming to an end right in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, there are worse ways to go.” Humphrey said, his head being held in his hands again.</p><p> </p><p>A chorus of agreement came from you, Thomas, Pat and Mary, as you pointed at your wounds.</p><p> </p><p>But you were told to be quiet by Kitty.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s happening!” She said almost joyfully.</p><p> </p><p>“Stand by.” The Captain's commanding voice rang out.</p><p> </p><p>You watched as the spirit left her body, floating above her former vessel as she looked at you all.</p><p> </p><p>“I think she’s going.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I do hope she stays.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tenner says she stays.” Julian said to Robin, making a bet.</p><p> </p><p>You wanted to hit him in the stomach but sadly you were too far from him.</p><p> </p><p>You missed Humphrey being dropped again as you witnessed the conversation between Heather and Fanny. Your hand brushed Thomas’ slightly and if you had a blood supply you were sure you’d blush.</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you?” Ghost Heather asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I am the ghost of your great-grandmother.” Fanny informed her.</p><p> </p><p>You smiled lightly as you listened to Thomas start to talk.</p><p> </p><p>“We are those poor spirits who dwell on, compelled by reasons unknown.” He began to say, but before he could finish his epic speech she moved on.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah she’s gone.” You all tutted in disappointment.</p><p> </p><p>“Lucky cow.” </p><p> </p><p>“Good on her actually.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad she went, she deserves peace not purgatory.” You said.</p><p> </p><p>But it fell on deaf ears as Julian and Robin squabbled over the bet that was made and Humphrey asked what was going on.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys if you please!” Pat said angrily, shutting up the squabbling pair.</p><p> </p><p>“Perhaps one of us should say a few words?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yes I’ll do it.” The Captain said before clearing his throat.</p><p> </p><p>You didn’t prepare yourself for an emotional speech, and you were right not to.</p><p> </p><p>“Bagsie her room.” He said, disappointing Lady Button.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s only just died!” She said.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I’ll wait till they’ve taken her away, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes because that makes it better.” You quipped, earning a stern look from the man.</p><p> </p><p>“She was the last Button of Button house.”</p><p> </p><p>And that’s when Thomas started on some of his poetry. You stayed around but the others slowly filed out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>You could tell that Kitty and Pat tried to stick around to support him but got restless so left, Humphrey of course couldn’t move without his body.</p><p> </p><p>“But with no children of her own, who then will come to call this home.” He turned to see you still stood there, admiring his poetry.</p><p> </p><p>He raised an eyebrow at you.</p><p> </p><p>“That was good, could do with a little bit of work but other than that it’s perfect.” You said, smiling at him.</p><p> </p><p>“The others didn’t seem to think so.” He said, walking over to where you were standing.</p><p> </p><p>“Ignore them, they don’t understand like I do.” </p><p> </p><p>He smiled back at you.</p><p> </p><p>“Shall we join the others?” He asked, you nodded and walked out the room with him.</p><p> </p><p>You heard Humphrey call out to you.</p><p> </p><p>You ignored him because you didn’t want to be on carrying duty once again.</p><p> </p><p>“Bastards!” You heard him shout, making you chuckle.</p><p> </p><p>What you didn’t see was Thomas looking at the way you looked as you laughed.</p><p> </p><p>You were the best of friends and yet there were things you didn’t know about each other.</p><p> </p><p>Secrets that would be revealed in time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Who Do You Think You Are Ep 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You were sitting on the windowsill, the place where you’d been since Heather had died.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others were either playing chess, or listening to Mary describe how to make a basket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both of which you had heard many, many times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas looked positively bored at what was happening, you couldn’t help but smile at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then repeat the process till you be done.” Mary finished talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You, Pat, Kitty and Thomas all clapped to make her feel happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, lovely talk of the day from Mary today. I think I can safely say if we had any wicker, or indeed if we could touch anything, we could all make a pretty rad-looking basket.” Pat said, trying to hype up the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He failed, all except Kitty who looked real rather enthused by the whole thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe next week, please, we’d all be very interested to hear about the trial. The witch trial.” He said, making Mary remember her horrible ordeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too soon? When you’re ready.” He tried to make her feel a little better as she sat between Kitty and Fanny.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat and announced that tomorrow would be food club.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When Kitty will be telling us all about the first time she ate an egg.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I actually didn’t like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right, Kitty. Well, save it for tomorrow please. Give us something to look forward to.” Pat's voice started to waver towards the end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then, on Wednesday, Julian volunteered to make a speech.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re doing your nineteen ninety-one by-election victory speech again?” You asked, groaning slightly as you remembered all the times you’d sat through it all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, what’s wrong with it?” He asked, almost innocently, but this is Julian so it wasn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think they mean the smutty jokes.” Thomas helped you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly what I mean.” You confirmed, pointing at Thomas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right that’s it.” The Caps voice broke through the growing tension in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked over and stood next to the Scout Leader.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pat, sit down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, AOB? Any other business?” He ‘asked’, causing Robin and Julian to raise their hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I have got something, actually. Now ever since I moved rooms, I have been woken every night by you, Fanny, screaming like a mad person.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You could tell he was annoyed because of the way his face scrunched up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t think I do!” She protested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The thing is Lady Button, you do.” You said softly, as to not aggravate her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I always thought that was an owl.” Kitty’s naive voice rang out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“An owl? Do you know what an owl sounds like?” Thomas asked, both confused and concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, now, I don’t think so.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You and Mary smiled at her then looked at one another, as if to say ‘help’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has got to stop!” Which made Fanny get out of her seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You quickly ran across the room and jumped over the back of the sofa, into the empty space, making Thomas chuckle slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, this is my house and I shall do what I like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhhhh it was mine first.” Robin said, raising his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No that’s the land, not the house.” She replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robin started to mock her, causing the Captain to sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I wish you would all hush! I cannot do my work with all this, agitation!” Thomas cried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You muffled your laugh behind a cough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Work? You haven’t done a day’s work in your life, or death.” Julian said to the poet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You stopped your ‘coughing’ and stood up on the sofa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey whoa! Not cool. He never got the opportunity to do work as he lived.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can talk! Hippy!” Julian shot back at you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas had to hold you back from punching the politician square in the jaw.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys please! Why don’t you just go back to your old room in the east wing?” Pat asked the moustachioed man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why I should! I wanted the garden view, now as ranking officer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well the garden view comes with the screaming woman!” You and Thomas chorused </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You gets used to it after hundred years.” Mary said in her broken English.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone started to squabble over the silly matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except for Robin. Who let out a yell to interrupt you all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s simple. You swap rooms. You go up top, you go ground floor and no jumpy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, well that suits me, I think.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that could work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You let out a sigh and sat on the back of the sofa. But you lost your balance and fell back. Luckily Thomas caught you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clumsy.” He whispered in your ear, making you smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not just a pretty face.” The caveman said before looking back to the chessboard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But of course that night, you were awoken from your slumber by the Captain shouting that Lady Button should throw herself out her own damn window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And you were glad he did. Who knew that ghosts could have nightmares?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You could tell a big change was coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, you were all gathered together near the piano.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Listening, once again, to Fanny and the Cap squabbling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This really is beyond the pale.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, has it happened again?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You went in my room, you said ‘George’, and then threw yourself out of the window.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, look, I don’t even realise I’m doing it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You started to zone out, thinking about your nightmare. It felt so real, like you were living your death again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You snapped out of your trance as you felt a hand rest on your shoulder in comfort, it was Thomas, he was the only one you told of your terrors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stay in hush whilst falling from a height? Tush and flops.” You heard Mary say, you giggled slightly at the woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, perhaps I scream because, and I’ve never told anyone this, but Umm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s quite alright, we shan’t pry.” Thomas said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just the night that I actually…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, look, no screaming. That’s all I ask. Is that reasonable?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s when Robin started making strange noises to get your attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all shuffled over to the window to see what he was going on about, you stood next to Thomas behind Robin and Pat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, it’s like a blooming spaceship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poor creatures must be lost.” Thomas said, placing his hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The strangers got out of the car, unknown music flowed out of it. But you kinda loved it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Kim Wilde!” Pat excitedly exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You were smiling at the thought of new faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me pluck out my eyes for never will I see such beauty again.” And that’s when you smile dropped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You suddenly weren’t happy at the thought of new faces</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he’d make a very fine soldier.” The Captain said, clearing his throat awkwardly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all watched them come into the house, you waited for them to see the first room.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a hundred percent the most incredible moment of my life, apart from my wedding.” The unknown male said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And it’s all ours.” The woman said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This shocked you all to the core.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did that girl just say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She must be related to you. Like a niece, a great, great, great.” Kitty said, staring at the woman in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, no, no. She’s no niece of mine. Look at her! She’s exposing her knees and she’s got a tattoo.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all started to follow the couple but you hung back, keeping your distance from everyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, this is the library.” The woman said, leading her husband into the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean we have to start reading books?” He asked, you held back a small scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Philistine.” Cap complained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be nice to have some new faces around.” Pat said, ever the optimist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s enough faces already.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’ll have to fix up the plaster work.” You said, to nobody but yourself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And not a moment later, the woman repeated what you said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But need fix architrave.” Robin said to Pat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could do every room in a different style.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Over my dead body!” Fanny said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You followed them from room to room as they threw out suggestions, such as: Ye Olde Worlde, which you all groaned at.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nineteen fifties, which again, made you feel ill.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And club Tropicana, which, because Julian agreed with it, you hated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s when you followed them outside so they could see the garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You stood in front of them, unseen and unheard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You were still pissed off from earlier. Thomas hadn’t looked at you or even spoken to you in the hour that </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> had been there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unbelievable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well they seem really nice. Let’s give them a chance.” Pat said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But you didn’t want to give them a chance, you wanted to be left with your friends without new people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, you from an hour ago was excited but so much had changed in that time that you just wanted them out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then the woman decided to stick her hand through Pats face, not that she knew he was there, but still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It sucked when they did that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh I hates it when that happens.” Mary said</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well there’s only two of them, still plenty of room for us.” Kitty said, smiling away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what the man said next made your entire body freeze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is gonna make one incredible hotel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of you understood, except Robin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is hotel?” He asked</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pat then explained what a hotel was. It took hours because Robin didn’t seem to be absorbing the information.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Once he had finally got it, it was night time and they were asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kill dem.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I quite agree, if we all approve the use of force to enable them to, you know, not live anymore.” Julian said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You wanted to agree but at this point you felt invisible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So you silently slipped out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You only heard the Captain shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dammit Fanny!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When you joined the others the next morning, no one explained what was going on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time in fifty years you felt alone once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even Thomas seemed to have forgotten about you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You sat on the chess board, watching as Robin did his thing with the lights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary raised her hand in the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes Mary.” The Captain said, pointing his swagger stick at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I pass through livings, they smells burnings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. None of those are plural but. And of course y/n can do that thing with metal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so now you remember I exist?” You said, you knew it was petty but you couldn’t help it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pat went to say something but was interrupted by Thomas, talking about Jemima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You liked to visit the ghosts in the basement, so they didn’t feel left out, so you knew Jemima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when it came to her singing to the others, you couldn’t understand why they were freaked out by her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“People find it scary apparently.” She informed you all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright little Jay?” You asked her, smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she saw you she smiled back and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gang looked between the two of you with questioning looks on their faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay if she’s in, so am I.” You told them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Captain sighed in relief, you didn’t really see how much use magnetism was going to be, but I guess only time would tell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Finally, we’re all aware of Julian’s extraordinary powers.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all started to encourage him to do his cup thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all watched in anticipation, waiting for the cup to fall off the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all applauded the man on the amazing feat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve only tried it on cups, but, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. Well, with my leadership and your skills,” Cap said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But was interrupted by Jemima coming to stand next to him, freaking the poor man out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe we have everything we need to scare them out of their wits.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas was on duty, looking out for when the lady was done in the shower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He decided the best way to check was to stick his head through the door to spy on her naked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You scowled at his actions in disgust, and possibly jealousy, but at that point you were still unsure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You were somewhat glad your magnetism power came with the manipulation of metal, aka being able to turn taps on and off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When you heard her shrill scream, you knew your work was done. Now all you had to do was hang back and watch them, well, fail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You loved them all, but being organised wasn’t their strong suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The water’s gone cold! I- it’s so cold!” She shouted to her husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You heard Thomas try to cover up him being a peeping Tom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stand to everybody, prepare for action.” The Captain’s commanding, yet soft voice, rang out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good luck, everyone. And remember, as long as you do your best.” Kitty tidied hyping everyone up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it just ended up as you all waited for her to finish her sentence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it turned out you didn’t need to, because she had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go for Robin!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Caveman starts to manipulate the lights, causing them to buzz and flicker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman noticed, but didn’t get scared like anticipated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She just walked over to the light switch and turned them off and on again. Which shocked Robin and caused him to seize and fall to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man down. Right, cue Jemima.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The plague girl started to sing, you loved it when she did so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Until the man blasted music and shouted that the speakers were hooked up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever the music was, you didn’t care much for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes please Mary.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary walked through the ‘living’, this was the one that you all hoped would get to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she smelt it and shouted to her husband that she thought his toast was burning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dammit! All on you now Julian!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You watched in amusement as he tried to push the vase off a table, the rest of the gang giving him words of encouragement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But by the time he’d moved it a fraction of an inch, she had walked past it and was out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s much bigger than a cup, so…” the trouserless man said, trying to defend himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Haunting’s hard, isn’t it?” Pat said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So how did it go?” Humphreys head called, from the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not too great, she’s not scared.” You said to him, walking past and not bothering to pick him up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous, guys! They’re young and they’re married, they want to make some money for their futures! Nobody can see us, so what’s the problem?” You tried to reason with them but had no luck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The problem, y/n, is that this is our house! We have been here longer than they have and we want them to go!” The Captain shot back at you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You scoffed and sat down in the nearest chair in a huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The conversation carried on, no one had noticed the lack of one ghost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But you really probably should have.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We will be overrun with people! Taunting us with their life!” Thomas declared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In circumstances such as these he was so overly dramatic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, we’ll just try again.” Pat tried to calm the poet down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If at first you don’t succeed.” He started, but Mr I like interrupting people cut in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Precisely, Pat’s right. We must prepare for another charge. Hit them when they’re vulnerable. We may have lost the battle but the war is far from over.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s when you all heard a scream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fanny’s early.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m right here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Kim Wilde!” Robin shouted, pointing out of the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You all gathered together, looking out of the window she fell from to see if she was okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You had to admit that jealousy had gotten the better of you over the past few days, but seeing Alison - as you now knew her name to be - laid on the grass, coming in and out of consciousness. You realised how foolish you’d been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ambulance came to take her away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And once it did, you all turned to Julian. The only one out of you all who could in fact touch things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You fucking idiot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, and more and more excuses from the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You still hadn’t gotten an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“L-l-l-l-let me be absolutely clear.” He said, once again trying to mask his guilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you push her?” Kitty asked firmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You had never seen her so annoyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, now, the thing you have to understand is this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, but it’s rather a yes or no question.” Pat said, scolding Julian as if it was one of his scouts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voices of your friends started to overlap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone was starting to get more and more annoyed with the man standing in front of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pushy or no pushy?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Robin, let me ask you this. You know, what was the context?” He deflected an answer once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Answer the question, damn your eyes!” Thomas yelled, startling everyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas, I’m trying to answer the question, if you let me finish.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, look here, a sacrifice was made for the greater good, we wanted her out of the house didn’t we? Now this has either killed her, or scared her off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew you’d say something in his defence! You don’t just push someone out of a window! And how can </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> be happy about someone being killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re right! You don’t just do that to someone!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What kind of coward would push a lady out of the window?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now steady on Fanny.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut it, moustache.” You said, making him stare at you with a scandalised look on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no I won’t, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was pushed. You hear me? I was pushed. And I have never told a soul.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ones who knew about it looked away, knowing how hard it was for her to get over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You knew something bad had happened, but you would never have thought it was so… scandalous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was my husband, George. I caught him, upon the groundskeeper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good lord.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With the butler, on him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Well, fuck.’ you thought, your eyes widened at the mental image that was just bestowed onto you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like a sandwich.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A man-wich.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s actually known as a Moroccan tea party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You groaned at what Julian said, but the man just smiled </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearly he didn’t trust me with his sordid little secret. So he just did away with me! But he was wrong, wasn’t he? He was very wrong. Because I have kept it, haven’t I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Until now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I did know that. I watched all of that.” Thomas said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You wanted to hit him for being insensitive but you also did want to move from the bed you had sat cross-legged on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the ones who had seen it started to say how they had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish I had watched it.” The voice of Julian Fawcett decided to break through the chatter, with some smut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Fanny. That must have been a terrible burden to bear for all those years. And perhaps now that you’ve shared it, you’ll be free of your nightly terrors.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been two weeks since Alison had fallen out of the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In that time you’d apologised to the Captain for being mean and you and Thomas had become friends again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary was giving a talk on how to milk a cow, one you’ve heard many times before. Just like everyone’s stories.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But sadly, you were dead and had nothing else to show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You had seated yourself next to Thomas, you had tried so desperately not to become flustered every time your hands brushed, but sadly you couldn’t speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my goodness, they’re coming back!” Kitty informed you all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which made you all confused as to why they’d decided to even return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does she seem okay?” Julian asked, sounding actually worried about her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, they’re not getting out of the carriage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You had all gathered by the window that Kitty was looking out of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You watched as the builders brought in their equipment, a lot of it seemed very, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>modern.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Button house, reduced to a tawdry boarding house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What will become of us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kitty, we’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she spoke to me, she spoke to me, she saw me, she spoke to me!” Julian sounded scared and worried, which concerned you more than anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not possible.” You shook it off as him being paranoid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the devil are you talking about?” The Captain asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She saw me, and spoke to me. What more do you need?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Possibly some proof! How do you know this isn’t just guilt and paranoia?” You said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So you got some proof, if you can call Alison screaming at Humphreys headless ghost proof</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You watched as she ran away at speed, her husband following close behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, shit.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gorilla War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry this is late, but here's Ep 2, aka: I'm not good at slowburn</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s the plan?” You asked the next day.</p><p>None of you had ever experienced this before, so none of you knew what to do.</p><p>“I shout testing, see if she hear.” Robin said.</p><p>You could tell immediately that it was his idea by the way he was smiling brightly.</p><p>Once the whole plan had been set out, Robin got to work.</p><p>“TESTING!” He shouted behind the closed door.</p><p>Alison let out a piercing scream and Robin ran through the door.</p><p>Alison followed soon after, but because she isn’t a ghost, she ran straight into the door instead.</p><p>“Well, that seems pretty conclusive. She can also hear us.”</p><p>“Well, no shit, Sherlock.”</p><p>“Do you always have to be so vulgar?” He asked.</p><p>You just gave him a look that said ‘yes, I do.’</p><p>To which he tutted and rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Personally, I’m glad she can hear us.” You said.</p><p>“What reasons be it for?” Mary asked.</p><p>“Well at least we can talk to her.”</p><p>“And get her out! l/n you’re brilliant!” The Captain praised you on practically nothing.</p><p>He walked away as you tried to protest.</p><p>“No that’s not what I meant!” You yelled, but he had already gone.</p><p>As had Pat and Julian.</p><p>“I leave you to kissy.” Robin told you and Thomas, bringing up a very awkward tension.</p><p>“N-no, Robin, we’re just friends.” You tried to say, failing at masking the disappointment behind the words just friends.</p><p>"Why are we just friends?" Thomas asked you unexpectedly.</p><p>Neither of you noticed Robin silently slipping out of the room.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>You felt like someone had stolen every thought from your head.</p><p>"I thought we were best friends." He said.</p><p>He didn't seem to understand the effect he had on you.</p><p>You sighed in relief that he didn't know about your feelings.</p><p>"Of course we are Thomas." You smiled, it was fake and filled with pain, but it was a smile nonetheless.</p><p>——————————</p><p>You all followed Alison as she sped towards her husband.</p><p>The hustle and bustle of you all talking at once was getting to Alison.</p><p>“They’re back.” She said to Mike.</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Them!” Alison yelled, pointing in your direction.</p><p>But to Mike there was an empty hallway.</p><p>That’s when Fanny decided to walk through the door.</p><p>“Ah!” Alison let out a shriek.</p><p>“Don’t shriek, you ill-bred hen. It is unseemly for a lady to.” She began.</p><p>She started shrieking herself when she saw a painting of her husband.</p><p>“Him! Cover that up at once! You beastly wretch!” She shouted.</p><p>“I refuse to be taunted in my own home by that lying, cheating.”</p><p>“Ex-Husband, you know how it is.” Julian finishes Fannys sentence for her, spooking Alison.</p><p>She backed herself up to the wall nearest the door to Kitty’s room.</p><p>Who then stuck her head through the door.</p><p>“Oh we’re the same height!”</p><p>“Do you need a tea?”</p><p>That’s when she decided to run.</p><p>Thomas pushed Robin and you against a wall.</p><p>"Lady coming through!"</p><p>"Don't be a dick." You mumbled.</p><p>You'd been squished between the wall and Robin.</p><p>Not the greatest, but you'd been through worse.</p><p>"What's your favourite colour?” Kitty asked</p><p>You’d barely heard her over everyone squabbling, trying to talk to Alison.</p><p>But Mike stopped it luckily, also unluckily cause he walked through five of you.</p><p>You weren’t one of them though.</p><p>“Oh, I do wish they wouldn’t do that!”</p><p>“There’s a cave one and there’s an army one and a hippy one, and one with no pants on.”</p><p>“And a first from Cambridge!” Julian kindly added, which she repeated back to her husband.</p><p>“I know it may seem very real, but remember what they said at the hospital, yeah? ‘May experience visual disturbances.’”</p><p>“But I can hear them too.”</p><p>“Probably cause we’re actually here.” You whispered to yourself.</p><p>“And my uncle Graeme, he thought he could smell toast, but you know what, there was no toast.” He tried to reassure his wife, but failed.</p><p>“He was having a stroke! He died, Mike!”</p><p>‘Fuckin hell’ you thought, maybe Mike wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was fun.</p><p>“Ok, bad example. I’m just saying, think about it - what’s more likely, that you can see ghosts, or that you’re still suffering from severe concussion?”</p><p>“Ghosts.” All of you said, in multiple different ways.</p><p>“Concussion.” Alison replied, making you all sigh.</p><p>“Robin, you’ve been here a while. Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Cap asked.</p><p>“One time, yes. But was bear. Bear was like ‘Raargh!’ And I’m like ‘Argh!’ And then he like ‘ooh, hurr, hurr!’ And I’m like.” He then started to babble and laugh incoherently.</p><p>“You had to be there.”</p><p>You lean into Thomas’ side, sick of being stood up and unseen.</p><p>“Rare then.” Julian said.</p><p>“Magic?”</p><p>“Black magic.” Mary said.</p><p>“Perhaps she’s just special.” Kitty said.</p><p>“Indeed she is.” Thomas said dreamily.</p><p>"And you'll be back to your old self in no time. Just give it a few days, yeah?"</p><p>All Alison said was okay, before turning Mike to face the you all so she could ignore you.</p><p>"So, Mike, what are you up to?"</p><p>"Well, I'm hooking up all the stuff that we can't live without."</p><p>"So like heating and hot water and."</p><p>"TV."</p><p>"What's a TV?" You asked Pat.</p><p>"I think it stands for television." </p><p>"Ohh." At this point you'd lost track of the conversation.</p><p>"It's all under control here, so why don't you go and relax? Have yourself a nice war- tepid bath."</p><p>"I'd like that." Thomas and Alison said in unison.</p><p>"Ohh, one of them just said what I said."</p><p>"Seriously, Thomas?" You asked, giving him a disappointed look.</p><p>"It's been two hundred years, give me a break."</p><p>Alison walked off, and Mike almost walked through you all.</p><p>----------------</p><p>"Clearly, this changes things. By some quirk of fate, it would seem the new Lady Button."</p><p>"She's no Lady, and she's no Button." Fanny interjected the Captain's speech.</p><p>"Well, whoever she is, she can now both see and hear us, which opens up some intriguing possibilities." You stopped listening at that point.</p><p>You watched Thomas' face fall into one of realisation. You knew what he was thinking.</p><p>Now she could see and hear him, he could profess his love to her.</p><p>"Order them to leave. Face-to-face!"</p><p>"Yes!" Mary cried out in a shrill tone.</p><p>You all looked at her, wondering why the hell she was being so loud.</p><p>"Well, conversings with the dead be witchcraft. People been burned at the stake for less." She said, smoke rising from her head.</p><p>"Except of course she isn't truly conversing, is she? She may give ear to my overtures, but, alas, she is yet to respond."</p><p>"To any of us." Thomas quickly tried to cover up his longing.</p><p>"She spoke to me."</p><p>"What? No, she did not!"</p><p>"Did. Said; Aaargh!" </p><p>"I don't think that's a word, Robin."</p><p>"'Tis. I had cousin, that all he said."</p><p>"She's not conversing because Mr Sledgehammer up there has convinced her we are just figments of her imagination, which is why we need a change of tactics. We work in shifts. Campaign of attrition. Guerilla war."</p><p>Robin exhaled before saying:</p><p>"Gorilla always win."</p><p>"Why is it always about war with you?" Pat asked, the captain just gestured to his uniform.</p><p>"What's wrong with a nice 'hello'? Maybe show them around. Then we could all sit down and have a nice friendly chat about this whole hotel business." Pat said. He just wanted to be nice.</p><p>"It is nice to be friendly." Kitty said, her bright smile was so contagious.</p><p>"Ideally more than friendly." Thomas said, making you and Fanny scowl.</p><p>"Befriended by you lot? I can't think of anything more annoying. In fact, you know what? Do that! Yeah, good plan. That'll send them running." Cap said, making Pat sad.</p><p>"Prick." You grumbled under your breath. The insult was directed to the army man.</p><p>"Perhaps I should handle the negotiations. Well, I did, after all, resolve the Arabian crisis on ninety one."</p><p>"What, you stopped a war?"</p><p>"No, I stopped a crisis. By starting a war, as it happens, but, you know, that's not the point. The point is, I was lead envoy in the negotiations."</p><p>"Utter toffee! You couldn't negotiate your way out of a corn maze!" Thomas joked, making you laugh.</p><p>You missed the twinkle in his eye as you did, he was oblivious to his feelings for you.</p><p>"How dare you! I'm a respected politician and diplomat, and I will not have my credentials called into question by some work-shy Bohemian. That treaty was my legacy." Julian said, making you all laugh.</p><p>He must have forgotten that you'd all seen him die.</p><p>All Julian did was say that he'd prove it to you, and then walk off.</p><p>He tried to slam the door, but his hand went straight through it.</p><p>"Imagine that slammed!"</p><p>------------------</p><p>"Right. It's going to take a sustained assault to grind her down, so we'll take it in shifts." The Captain said, you, Thomas and Pat all following close behind.</p><p>"I'll go first! We have a connection. A frisson, if you will." Thomas said.</p><p>"Pat should go first."</p><p>"No. This is a military campaign, and I'm not the sort to bring up the rear. No, I'll go first."</p><p>Thomas walked away in anger.</p><p>You followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.</p><p>"Thomas! Thomas, wait!" You shouted to the poet, who didn't seem to want to stop.</p><p>So you halted in your step and turned around, going back to the Captain.</p><p>Only to find Alison running out of the room, loud noises followed her.</p><p>"Excuse me! I know you think I'm in your head but I just wanted advice!" You shouted to her but she didn't turn.</p><p>"Please, all I want is to ask you a question then I promise to leave you alone."</p><p>This made her stop.</p><p>"You're in my head, that's all you are, a figment of my imagination."</p><p>You sighed, knowing you'd have to pretend to be fake.</p><p>"Okay, if you were to give yourself advice, what would you say to this? I like someone, I've liked him for fifty years and I was so sure he liked me, but then someone else turned up and he stopped paying attention to me, started to ignore me. Fell in love. What would you tell yourself to do?"</p><p>Your voice was wavering with every single word you spoke.</p><p>"I'd ask myself, if I knew whether or not this person reciprocates his feelings, if not, then I'd try and show him what he was missing." She said.</p><p>You absorbed her advice like it were water and you a sponge.</p><p>You mumbled a thank you and walked away.</p><p>That was all you wanted from her really, someone who wasn't one of the family to talk to.</p><p>You kept walking until you bumped into Lady Button.</p><p>"So sorry M'Lady." You said as politely as you could, your voice was still uneven.</p><p>"Y/n, are you okay?" Fanny asked, her voice soft and low.</p><p>"I'm fine Lady Button. Sorry I should have been looking where I was going."</p><p>"It's okay, sweetheart." </p><p>Fanny was like a mum to you, she wouldn't show it to anyone else, but she made you feel safe.</p><p>-------------------------</p><p>You'd stayed true to your word and left her alone.</p><p>The others, not so much.</p><p>You watched out the window, they all ran after the car as it drove away.</p><p>You wanted to tell Thomas, you really did.</p><p>But you knew how he felt for Alison.</p><p>His words still rang through your head as if it were a drum.</p><p>When you were alive, heartbreak was easy to cope with.</p><p>You'd sit in your room and put a record on. </p><p>You missed your dansette sometimes.</p><p>Your friends didn't come back for a while, but they did when the car turned back up.</p><p>You ran down to the front door, ghosting your way through it.</p><p>"Fine! I see you! Okay?! I see Major-General Can't-Sing, I see Captain Cave-Prick, I see all of you! Okay? You win! Mission accomplished! I admit your existence. Now what the hell do you want?!"</p><p>"We want you out of this house!" Cap shouted.</p><p>"Well, that's tough, isn't it? Because thanks to my resident mortgage advisor we're stuck here!"</p><p>"Okay, you're officially freaking me out."</p><p>"So, how about you leave?"</p><p>"We can't." You finally spoke up.</p><p>"You sort of just stays where you dies." Mary said</p><p>"And how you dies. Died!" Thomas said.</p><p>You smiled at his mistake, you walked up to stand next to him.</p><p>Alison noticed your smile and put two and two together.</p><p>"It's your classic haunted house."</p><p>Mike started to try and speak to his wife, but she interrupted him.</p><p>"Whoa, right. So I can't go and you can't go. So,what will it take to get you all just out of my face, huh? What do you want? What do you actually want?! Specifically! You?"</p><p>She points at the Cap.</p><p>"Right! I'll tell you what we want. We demand that, one hour a week of the thing about tanks and anything on superweapons, please? Thank you."</p><p>"Done! Next!"</p><p>"I feel like I should call someone?" Mike said, obviously worried that his wife was just speaking to thin air.</p><p>"Who're you gonna call?! You, Sourpuss." She said, addressing Fanny who didn't take too well to being called Sourpuss.</p><p>"Remove my husband's portrait, and fill the hole in my wall!"</p><p>"Done, you?" She points to Thomas.</p><p>You knew what he was going to say.</p><p>"Divorce him, kill yourself, marry me."</p><p>"No." </p><p>"To which bit?"</p><p>"All of it, talk to y/n about marriage, they're the one who's actually in love with you!" Your eyes widened as she admitted your biggest secret.</p><p>You backed away from the group as they all stared at you.</p><p>"I- I don't, i-." You stuttered, all you could hear were a million rejections.</p><p>You ran in, you'd hoped no one had followed, as you could still hear the conversation going on outside.</p><p>You ran to your secret spot, forgetting that you and Thomas had found it together.</p><p>It was a priest hole near the attic.</p><p>You'd go there when you wanted to be completely alone.</p><p>You sat there, sobbing, almost wishing the heavens would open and take you.</p><p>But they didn't.</p><p>Instead the door opened, revealing the poet.</p><p>"Do you truly love me, y/n?" He asked.</p><p>You felt as if your brain was going to implode.</p><p>But it couldn't, on account of death.</p><p>"Yes, I do, I'm sorry." </p><p>"No, I am the one who should be sorry. I have been oblivious to you for all these years, believing you saw me as a sibling, a friend. But now I see I was wrong. All I need is you." He professed to you.</p><p>"Are you making fun of me? Or is this real? Because five minutes ago, you loved Alison."</p><p>"A careless attempt to rid my mind of my feelings for you, if I knew how you'd felt I would never have said a thing."</p><p>"So this is real? This is happening?" You asked.</p><p>You had gotten closer to him, and he to you.</p><p>His lips brushed over yours in a tender kiss.</p><p>"This is real." He whispered.</p><p>You both got out of the hiding place, making sure to block it over so no one would find it.</p><p>He took your hand in his, an odd sensation for you both.</p><p>"Do we tell anyone?" You asked, unsure of how these things worked.</p><p>"Unless you'd like to keep our courtship to just us, we could." He said.</p><p>"We should tell Alison, and Fanny. She's like my mum, it only seems fair."</p><p>He smiled at you, his eyes twinkled with delight and happiness.</p><p>"Okay, but if I end up pushed out of a top floor window, I'm blaming you." He joked, making you chuckle.</p><p>But you stopped once you realised how possible it was.</p><p>------------------</p><p>"Alison, could I talk to you?" You said, walking into the room without Thomas. He'd decided to hide in the library.</p><p>"And you, Fanny?"</p><p>They both followed you to your room, it was very drab and airy but you loved it.</p><p>"Thomas and I have begun courting, as he likes to put it, and I thought it was only right to tell you both."</p><p>"Be careful." Was all Fanny said, before leaving the room.</p><p>"Thank you." </p><p>"What for?" Alison asked you.</p><p>"I've been waiting fifty odd years to tell him how I feel, and you come along and do it for me."</p><p>"You're welcome. I should get back."</p><p>She went away, leaving you all alone.</p><p>Once you were sure she was out of earshot you started jumping up and down and squealing.</p><p>Once you'd stopped, you fully composed yourself before walking through the walls to get to the library.</p><p>"We should join the others." </p><p>And you did.</p><p>Which was a mistake.</p><p>Because Fanny can't keep her mouth shut.</p><p>"Thorne and L/n are screwing?!" Julian decided to shout to the whole room.</p><p>Making them all turn to you.</p><p>Robin decided to say something first.</p><p>"You all owe 10."</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Authors Note</h2></a>
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    <p>I'm so so sorry for not updating in such a long time, writers block and my mental health have both taken their toll</p><p>I'm hoping to write some more in a while, not sure when.</p><p>I feel really bad about this, hope you understand</p><p>Love Luna</p>
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